A Brief History of the United Federation V2
by Protagonist07
Summary: A remake of my old story: This is based on an actual playthrough of a heavily modded Civilization game. The world as we know it has ended. A new world emerges, with all sorts of strange new nations. Subspace abominations walk the Earth, attacking all that lives. This is the story of the United Federation (GUN, from Sonic), and their attempts to restore normalcy to the world.
1. A Civilization to Stand the Test of Time

Chapter 1: A Civilization to Stand the Test of Time.

I've had...recurring dreams, of a sort. In it, a great spirit-God, perhaps-takes me back, to the day before the cataclysm. Men and women being lined up, and walking into the emergency bunker. Soldiers were stopping people from entering when they were starting to fill up.

I'm told about the virtues of the people I command-their self-reliance, their optimism, their tolerance, and others. I'm asked if I'm worthy to lead these people. And, to be honest, I'm not sure.

The Chapel says I'm having visions. Personally, I just think I'm nervous-I've only taken office recently. I'm President Rogers of the United Federation, and as the elected leader, I will lead my people to glory.

They say it's clear to leave, so I've sent scouting teams to investigate the nearby area. I'm hoping they'll be able to rediscover technology. So much was lost during the Cataclysm.

They've already discovered something interesting in the Southwest: Columbia. For those unaware, Columbia was a floating city constructed by the US government before the cataclysm. They eventually seceded from the Union (and by that, I mean, they flew away never to be seen until now). However, their flying city couldn't stay in the air forever, so they've had to land.

As the leader of the government succeeding the United States, I'm very interested in learning what's happened to Columbia while it was away. I'd like to be optimistic-the Columbians are, arguably, our people. Though, I've been told their state was founded by a racist Neo-Confederate theocrat...and no evidence to support that they've changed. They still speak of "The Sodom Below" even as they touch the ground.

And...to our north: We've discovered a laboratory known as "Aperture Science". It's run by a super computer, named Glados. She shouts death threats to all who come near her testing sights.

But on a more pressing note: We've discovered a Subspace Portal. Just before the Cataclsym occured, there were odd figures called "Polygons" that were sighted. Some were saying it was a sign of the apocalypse. It would be one hell of a coincidence if they were not, all things considered.

Polygons attack almost everything they see. They know neither remorse nor pity nor fear. They cannot be reasoned with. I've sent my police to deal with the problem.


	2. The First Subspace Crusade

Chapter 2: The First Polygon War

[3rd Person POV]

Ted was the Squad leader of Bear Team, from the Security group of the Federation, the Guardian Unit of Nations, also known as GUN. He was a blond man with slightly spikey hair. They marched to the subspace portal. They wore police uniforms and carried truncheons.

There stood four black obelisks. Buzzing around them was a swarm of "shadow bugs", which occasionally formed into a Polygon. In the very center was the subspace portal itself-a black sphere. It was only a one-way portal, traveling into subspace was impossible. Floating in the air above the obelisks were a few humanoid figures. They couldn't make out much, but they were up in the air, seemingly unconcious.

The Polygons themselves looked like humanoid figures made out of some sort of purplish crystal (it had the consistency of hard plastic, though was transluscent). Upon seeing the Federation Police, they began to walk slowly towards them, as if hesitating a moment. They slowly sped up until they were sprinting, and charged after them.

The Police Officers raised their batons and prepared for the attack. The Polygons were unarmed, but they had enough understanding of martial arts that they didn't really need weapons. In addition, getting punched with a crystal fist hurt like hell.

One polygon ran up to Ted, and prepared to punch him. Ted blocked the attack with his left arm, deflecting it away, and then grabbing it. He then did a sweep kick, and forced the Polygon to the ground. He then "brained" it with his baton, until its head shattered, at which point the whole thing dissolved back into shadow bugs, which fled the battle.

He was then tackled from the side by a Polygon, and was on the ground, being kicked by the Polygon. Suddenly, a man in a brown uniform attacked the Polygon with an odd, hook-shaped device, a "Skyhook", as it would later be called. He lifted the Polygon up by its neck with the device, and crushed it, decapitating the Polygon.

The man helped Ted up and asked "Are you ok, son?".

Ted nodded and said "Yes sir". He looked at him. He wore an insignia marking him as a member of the "Founders"-Columbia's ruling party.

The Founder officer said "Alright: Have your men take down the pillars. We'll fight off the Polygons".

The GUN officers that were still able to got up and threw ropes around the obelisks, and pulled them to the ground. Once it fell, the portal shrank and dissappeared. The people were let down. They were black men.

It made sense in Ted's mind now: Those people were slaves, kidnapped by the Polygons for God knows what purpose. The Founders were here to recover their lost "property".

A Founder officer said "Thanks for the assist, Grounder". They approached the people in question, bound them up, and proceeded to take them away. The slaves didn't resist; they were just happy to be alive.

One founder soldier smacked one of the slaves to the ground and says "That's what you get for running off like that, negro. Serves you right, getting attacked by Polygons."

The GUN Soldiers stood horrified. Ted had a gut feeling that he should intervene. He opened his mouth to give an order to rescue the slaves-but he stopped himself. Bear Team was too weak to fight the Founders. If they attacked them, they would be killed. Worse, they'd run the risk of starting a war-something they know the Federation can't afford.

"Mission Accomplished. Let's get out of here, officers! Get our wounded to safety!" shouted Ted. The other officers were visibly disappointed, but left with him anyways.


	3. Foreign Policy, and Growth

Chapter 3: Foreign Policy, and Growth:

[Presidential POV]

The Founders did not come to our aid for our sake, but it's just as well they came. The probably saved Bear Team. They seem to be grateful as well: Columbia's Propoganda Machine changed its tone for a few days. They've stopped spewing hatred of the "Sodom Below", and even begun praising some of our people as "lost Columbians, who simply didn't get on the Ark".

I'm not sure whether to be disgusted or impressed. At least they were praising Bear Team for the right reasons (valor and self-sacrifice), and not accusing them of supporting their brazenly racist policies (which would be especially clueless, given that three of Bear Team's members are Hispanic).

Either way, it's a moot point: within a week, they went back to hating everything that doesn't worship the Prophet Comstock, flies any flag but their own, or has a skin color different than vanilla ice cream. Ultimately, The Founders in their current state can't long endure without its hatred of at least one other nation. It's part of what holds the Prophet's cult of personality together.

I'm faced with an ethical conundrum. Many, such as General Abraham Tower, are calling for war as soon as possible. We don't have the resources for a war today, but we will verys soon. GUN is having much better luck recruiting (particularly among ethnic minorities) ever since Columbia's true nature was revealed to us.

Others are calling this blatent imperialism. Another group is arguing that imperialism of human rights is morally acceptable. Others still argue that what goes in the Columbia is really none of our business.

I won't declare war just yet. But I have no obligation to help the Founders in their goals, either. I'm going to propose to congress that any escaped slaves from Columbia will be given automatic citizenship upon touching our soil. I'm officially denouncing Columbia's policies.

All the while, I'll be growing my army's strength so that, if war does come, we'll be ready for it. And history will remember Columbia's defeat as a "the Federation's noble defense against an invasion by a horrible slavocracy" and little else.

In other news, we've founded 2 new cities: Westopolis and Empire City. An organized church has been founded in Central City, and has spread all across my nation and even a little bit into Columbia as well. They call themselves the "New Puritans". Their doctrine is based on several Protestant faiths mixed together. Perhaps they can help us against the Columbians? After all, Columbia is pretty reliant on its cult of personality.

We've discovered five new nations. They are:

Rapture: on an island to our west. Their society appears to be intended as a sort of "Galt's Gulch", where the best and brightest gathered together to escape the "Tyranny" of government intervention. In fact...I wonder if its leader, Andrew Ryan, has actually read Atlas Shrugged. I'll have to ask him.

Their cities are run down, even by the standards of today's post-apocalyptia. They are policed by "Splicers"-disfigured mutants, occasionally wearing masks. They're researching a technology called "ADAM", which allows them to rewrite the human genome.

The Eggman Empire: Located on an island to our Southwest (It's just west of Columbia). It's an empire of robots, all under the control of a mysterious Dr. Eggman. Disturbingly, his machines are powered off of animal life. He seems to really hate nature. It's very militaristic society, with a stated goal of world domination.

Gotham: Located on an island to our southeast. They under the control by a group called "The Order of the Bat". Apparently, their leader, the Batman, was a vigilante before the Cataclysm. By his efforts, the city of Gotham managed to be saved. He proceeded to use his team of vigilantes to take control of the city. They rule with absolute authority, but nonetheless shun lethal force.

The Jokerz: Located on the same island as Gotham. There was an assylum, Arkham Assulum, which housed special criminals and mental cases. One day, a man named the Joker managed to take over the assylum from the inside. He's turned the place into some sort of casino, while also using it as a base of operations for his gang.

Supposedly, their leader is a psuedo-anarchist lunatic who is actually glad that the cataclysm destroyed all of civilization. We'll see what happens with him.

Mobius: Located on the same island as Eggman. Now they are an odd bunch. They're a bunch of animal people. Our scientists suspect their transformation was caused by the Cataclysm.

They guard feircely gemstones known as the "Chaos Emeralds". We aren't sure what these emeralds are, but they must be really important.

Their society seems pretty easy-going, as far as we can tell.


	4. A Meeting with Father Comstock

Chapter 4: A meeting with Father Comstock.

[3rd Person POV]

The New Puritans were very eager to prosyltize in Columbia. Though Columbia's religion was an offshoot of Christianity, it was a highly unorthodox version. For example, they worshipped their ruler, Zachary Hale Comstock.

Of course, that's where Columbia's weak point was: It couldn't remain stable without its specific religious beliefs.

Getting into town was hard. Claiming to be a "pilgrim" was easy, but they wouldn't fall for that forever. Sometimes they would pretend to be be smugglers carrying good from the Federation, such as lemons (citrus fruits are a major export of the Federation). They would simply show up, say "I'm smuggling in Lemonade," and offer a can to the border patrol as a bribe.

They would take New Puritan literature and switch out the cover for a book of Columbian Propoganda. They might even have the first few pages be Columbian. But, turn past the 15th page, and it's all about the New Puritan's views. They'd pass them out on the streets, and be gone before anyone else knew a thing.

Life in the underground church was extremely difficult. They met in basements and they lived in constant danger. But nonetheless, they became a notoroious thorn in the sides of the Founders.

The President of the United Federation was eventually called to Columbia. He was cheuffured into a park by a horse and buggy. He had guards waiting in the buggy in case things went really south-but they stayed inside.

Sitting at a picnic table in the park was an old man with a large beard. He said "Oh, you've arrived, great leader!". He had a large pot and two bowls set up. He took the lid off of the large bowl, and poured clam chowder into both bowls. "Come, sit". The President suspected Comstock had archers hidden away. Nonetheless, the President took a seat.

Comstock offered his hand. "I'm Father Comstock."

The President offered his own hand and said "President Rogers".

They both took a bite of chowder before continueing. The President noted that the clam chowder was actually quite delicious.

"You like the chowder? It's an old family recipe," said Comstock.

"It's really good." said the President.

Comstock nodded and said "I'm glad you like it. Now...onto business". He started to frown. "I understand that your people strongly believe they are doing the right thing when they protect escaped slaves. It's viewpoint that we've noticed was very hard to shake from your people. I understand: the people of your nation simply don't know better".

The President crossed his arms. He wasn't impressed by this guy's rhetoric. He raised an eyebrow and said "Your point, Prophet?"

Comstock said "Well, I was hoping I could find your cooperation with another problem I'm having. Religious organizations from inside your nation have...spread their views into our nation...some even deny that I am truly a Prophet," he looked the President straight in the eye and said "My government finds its legitimacy in my prophethood. The New Puritans are a threat to my ability to maintain order within my nation. I was hoping you'd cooperate in efforts to stop the spread of their beliefs into my borders."

The President leaned back in his chair a bit and said "I'm sorry, Prophet, but religious freedom is a cornerstone of my government's legitimacy. If your state can't remain stable with their presence, I suggest finding a way to reform your government."

Comstock was visibly annoyed. Any jollyness that existed before was gone when he said "I see how it must be, then. I'll let you return home to think about what's best for your people's safety. Begone."

The President got up to leave, but then Comstock said "Oh, but take the pot of Chowder, that's a gift."


	5. The Refugee Camp

**Chapter 5: The Refugee Camp.**

[3rd Person POV]

A group of people came in a boat to the island that the Founders, the Federation, and Aperture Science were on. They set up a camp just south of Aperture.

The President was invited to give them a visit. He did so.

He arrived again, in a horse-drawn carriage, and found a refugee camp filled with green-skinned people. They dressed in a way that reminded him of either the middle east or India.

He was directed to a large tent where there stood a short green guy. He wore a red robe and a pair of large glasses with a swirl drawn on them.

He said "Hello, Mr. President!"

President Rogers nodded and offered a hand. "Hello...and you are...?"

The short man took it (rather tightly), smiled, and said "I am glad that you be asking the question!" and he took out a remote from his pocket. He clicked a button on it.

Suddenly, a projector projected an image onto the tent wall. The man declared "I am the legitimate, not-sinister ruler of the Beanbean Kingdom who's name is Fawful". The image that was projected onto the screen was of Fawful, sitting on a throne, wearing a large crown that didn't fit him right at all. On his throne was a plague that said "Lord-" and then there was a sticky note over what was written there. Instead, written in green crayon, was the word "Fawful".

Fawful declared "But then, one day, the DONKEY KONGS CAME!", and he pressed a button showing an image of a large gorrila with a tie. "The Donkey Kongs came and snatched away the delicious candy-flavored sandwhich of our nation in a way similar to how one snatches candy from a baby with the sweet tooth!".

He flipped again to show an image of Donkey Kong punching one of his soldiers, who still had a giant grin on his face. A label was drown onto the image of Donkey Kong's fist, labeling it a "Falcon Pawnch-very scary!".

He then said "My soldiers were crushed like ants under a boot made of squash!" and flipped the image again to show a picture of a bunch of boats sailing off away from a . "We are now the government which is in exile, and I...I..." he started to cry. "I have the sadness!" he grabbed the president and cried into his chest.

The President embraced him and said "There, there. You're welcome to live on this island."

Fawful instantly perked up and declared "Oh good! I have much approval at your decision! Today will be the crust on the bread of the sandwhich of my survival!"


	6. The Westopolis Incident

Chapter 6: The Westopolis Incident

They came at dawn, when most people were still asleep. The Founder army marched in unison towards the soldiers, carrying the Columbian Flag. It had red and white stripes ala the US flag, though instead of a blue square in the top-left corner there was a blue police-badge like insignia in the center.

Any civilians who saw the Founders dropped what they were doing and ran-not that the Founders minded. In fact, they had chosen this hour because they expected the streets to be clear.

Their squad leader made a declaration:

"Mayor of Westopolis: In the name of the the Archangel Columbia and her Prophet, Father Comstock, we have come to claim this city for Columbia. Stand down, and nobody will have to be hurt."

The Mayor of Westopolis had already been escorted to a panic room. Standing on the rooftop of the building was General Abraham Tower, and an archer from a group called "First Recon". Both raised an eyebrow and looked at each other a moment, before Abraham Tower gave a nod.

Suddenly, one of the Founder officers was knocked to the ground by a blunted arrow. Naturally, the Founder officers were startled by this, and jumped into action.

Emerging out of the Town Hall were various GUN Officers. They carried sabres and looked vaguely like Honor Guards. They charged at the Founders. In their ranks, was Ted.

Ted saw the Founder officer in front of him-it was the officer from the first battle against the Polygons. Now, they had learned in training that, though a skyhook couldn't break a sword, it could bend them really bad out of shape, or worse, pull it out of his hand.

The real benefit of a Sabre, though, was its range and its mobility. A Skyhook was only 22", and most of that was just in the handle. A Federation Officer's Sword was 32" long in blade length alone.

He leaned in forewards and swung his weapon, but his opponent dodged the attack. The Founder ran in with his skyhook, but Ted blocked the attack with his forearm. He then drove his sword through the Founder's chest. The Founder stared at him, angrily, for a moment, but then his eyes sort of glazed over, and then rolled back into his head as he collapsed on the ground.

Before he could react, Ted was attacked by a flock of crows. He himself couldn't quite tell where they were coming from. He swung his sword around, in an attempt to deter the crows that clawed at him.

However, at this point the cavalry had been called...and quite literally, too. Men arrived on horseback, armed with spears and sabres. In addition, four catapults had emerged from hidden warehouses.

They found the source of the crows: a few Founders who were using a "Murder of Crows" Vigor-it gave them seemingly supernatural powers to call in flocks (also known as a murder) of crows to attack an enemy. At short range, though, the attack wasn't nearly as useful. When men on horseback charged at them, they were simply demolished.

A combination of catapult fire and arrows rained down on the remaining Founder Forces, and drove them into retreat.

Abraham Tower stepped down from the town hall, and got on a horse. He said "Alright, men! We've prepared for this day! Gather everything you need. We march for The Hall of Heroes!".

He trotted his horse down the streets of Westopolis. Out of the alleyways, the city's "woodworks", GUN officers emerged, and began to follow him. A wall of soldiers, with determination in their eyes, marched onwards. The time had come for the Founders to pay for their crimes-and the Guardian Unit of Nations will collect.


	7. The Battle of the Hall of Heroes

Chapter 7: The Battle of the Hall of Heroes

The Founders had already prepared for this. The women and children living near the Hall of Heroes had been properly evacuated for the most part, and sent off to Central Columbia. There was a short debate about what to do with slave labor during the war. Just because there was a war on, doesn't mean someone doesn't have to work the fields (indeed, it only increased demand for slave labor). In the end, adult male slaves were required to stay put. They could have their wives and children sent back to central Columbia if they took on their own work load. Pregnant women, infants, and very young children were usually sent away free of such charge, however.

Their soldiers gathered near the Federation-Columbia Border. Over the horizon one could see the silhouettes of the Founder army against the setting sun.

Arriving at the scene was the GUN Army, flying the Federation Flag. The Vigor-users of the Founders fired their Vigors. In response, the GUN fired its arrows. The sky was filled with fireballs, arrows, and crows.

Ted had been wise enough to bring a simple wooden shield with him, which deflected some of the birds that tried to ram into him.

They moved forewards, cautiously. Those that had shields would point them upwards, in order to deflect oncoming projectiles. The Founder army did the same. It was a long moment of awkward silence, really.

They got to the point where they were face to face. Ted felt himself fill with anxiety. He knew that, any moment now, he was going to fight the guy in front of him. His subconcious kept asking "Are you ready now, Ted?" again and again.

He doesn't quite recall how it happened. In one moment, he was standing still in anxiety, and in the next, he was already in the middle of a fight. His shield deflected attacks by skyhook. A Skyhook was strong enough to crush bones that got trapped in their hooks, but the flat surface of the shield stopped it from getting enough leverage to destroy the shield entirely. In fact, they would get a little stuck inside, which would give Ted a short window of opportunity to attack. All in all, he probably killed around 5 Founders total.

Some other soldiers had taken to carrying metal rod-shaped objects (whatever they could find) and using them in conjunction with more traditional bladed weapons. Stick them into the skyhook, and then stab the founder in the chest. That was a very effective strategy.

The GUN had sent four catapults, two horsemen, and one archer team in addition to its infantry. Though the Infantry tried to "hold the line" the best they could, the Founders did manage to get through to the Catapults and the Archers. Neither had swords to defend them (they usually carried knives or police batons). They managed to kill the archers and one of the catapults before they were killed by the horsemen.

It wasn't much longer before the GUN was able to march foreward towards the hall of heroes, leaving the Founders guarding the border dead behind them.

The three surviving catapults that the GUN brought in had been given nicknemes: Starcrash, Jericho, and the Unfounder. They tossed cinder blocks, boulders, and whatever else they could find at the center building of the Hall of Heroes. After doing this a while, part of the building collapsed on itself.

The Horsemen went around the back of the building: Columbia's central capital would be sending reinforcements soon. Abraham Tower, still on horseback, trotted over to Ted and gave an order: "I think everyone in there's dead, now. I want you to go in and investigate. If the mayor's still alive, arrest him. Medics, if anyone's injured in there, take them to the first aid tent."

Ted saluted and said "Yes, sir!", before entering the building. They had closed the building down for all non-essential personal, so there were no next to no civilian casualties. Tower had been incorrect about deaths; the guards stationed inside the building had mostly survived, albeit with debilitating injuries. They all surrenderred on the spot.

Ted looked around the building. This was a museum filled with horribly, horribly racist propaganda. There were cardboard cut-outs of godawful carictures of Chinese. A sign next to them read:

"Yellow skin and slanted eyes did decieve us with their lies. Until they crossed the righteous path of our prophet's holy wrath". Ted rolled his eyes and could swear he tasted vomit in his mouth. He almost wondered if they were being serious of if this was some sort of satire. The Founders wouldn't satirize racism...but it's possible that they forced a guy to design it, and he made it over the top to parody the whole thing, only to find that the Founders loved it. He never found anything to confirm or deny that hypothesis, though.

They eventually came across the mayor, or at least the person in charge: Cornelius Slate. He was a bald man with an eyepatch wearing red, white, and blue armor. His leg was trapped under a piece of the celing. Ted unseathed his sword and pointed it at him.

Slate chuckled and said "Don't fuckin' bother with the blade. I think I've had enough here..."

And so, the Hall of Heroes was taken.


	8. War and Peace

**Chapter 8: War and Peace**

The war had gone on for weeks now. It had consisted mostly of border skirmishes between the now-occupied Hall of Heroes and Emporia (Columbia's Capital).

In addition, some of the wealthy members of the Founder party had taken refuge in the Tribe of La Venta. A neighboring tribe, the Vancouverites, hated the Founders and declared war on La Venta for their willingness to help them. But ultimately, the Vancouver-La Venta conflict would become little more than a footnote in history books-neither tribe could destroy the other or greatly affect the outcome of the GUN-Founder war.

Comstock had written letters to the president asking if he'd be interested in a peace treaty. The President sat in his office, rolling the idea around in his head, and weighed the merits of both ideas around in his head.

Invading Emporia would not be an easy task by any means. It was much more fortified than the Hall of Heroes was. It had a lot more forests around it, and it would be much harder to just bombard it with catapults. Emporia was guarded by the Order of the Raven.

He looked out the window. He could see the war protesters there. People were happy to fight against the Founders, until they realized the war would be funded with their money and their blood.

He continued to think about whether or not to sign this treaty. The terms were simple: Columbia would pay reparations to the Federation and even allow it to keep the area it's already taken. In return, the Federation would give it recognition as a legitimate state.

The Founders were scared. They knew the end was arriving. They were within striking distance. If the GUN can plant flags into Emporia, then Columbia will free forever. And then...nobody will have to concern themselves about cults of personality, or what to do with harbored slaves, or worry about armies attacking their cities.

And surely, if they kill the Founders once and for all...they will never be a threat to anyone again. The Founders will surely try again. They cannot remain stable without their slavery, their hatred, their cults.

He took out two photographs from a filing cabinet. One was of an injured soldier, the other of a beaten slave. He compared the two. Which horrified him more? He put the photos back and then looked out the window back at the protesters.

He sighed and then took out his pen and paper and wrote this letter:

 _To General Abraham Tower:_

 _I know you care deeply for the people under your command. Every soldier lost must feel as some kind of personal failure. You would spend all the time you could thinking of a way to fight the Founders without risking such high casualties._

 _But no such way exists. The time has come to recognize that, our nation cannot endure if we are not willing to make the necessary sacrifices in the name of justice. Our honor as people, and as a nation depends on it._

 _You are a father to your men. Make no mistake: the battle you are about to enter will be like nothing that has ever occurred since the cataclysm. You must carry your soldiers to victory. You must inspire them and give them strength to fight on. Only then can we win._

He got up from his desk and then opened the door. A woman stood outside, with a bag. The President said "Take this to the Abraham Tower, ma'am."

The woman took it, and nodded before running off.

The President sat down and sank into his chair, before looking out the window again. He broke down in tears, for he knew that tomorrow, he would have the blood of hundreds on his hands.


	9. The Battle of Emporia

**Chapter 9: The Battle of Emporia**

The soldiers marched into through the foggy forest, onwards to Catapults had to be left behind, they would not be easy to cart around in the forest. It was raining. Few people had thought about bringing things like coats or umbrellas. They had resorted to "enforced purchases" of raingear. That is to say, they would approach civilians with raingear and force them to sell them their stuff. To their credit, though, they often paid very generously.

An explosion occurred next to the GUN soldiers. It was a devil's kiss vigor. Emporia was firing at them already. A few had been killed by such attacks already, though not enough to be a serious problem just yet.

As they marched, they noticed another army approaching to their left. Everyone readied their arms, when they noticed the flag of the approaching army. It was a dark turquoise color, right in between blue and green. On it there was an image of a lighthouse.

It was Rapture.

Andrew Ryan, on horseback, approached Abraham Tower.

Tower said "Are you...Andrew Ryan?"

Ryan nodded and said "Oh good, you've heard of me. My achievements seem to have gotten me something after all. I've come here to help you fight the Founders."

Tower said "You...want to help us? I figured the people of Rapture would want to stay home for the sake of their self-interest".

Ryan shook his head "Comstock is the world's greatest parasite, who spreads superstition and slavery across the globe and into Rapture. Like it or not, we must help you".

"Uh...thanks, Mister Ryan?" said Tower.

Ryan was followed by an army of splicers, wearing masks to hide their faces. They carried metal clubs and meathooks. They fell in line with the GUN soldiers, and they marched forewards unto Emporia.

At last, they entered Emporia Proper. Ted noticed a woman carrying a basket of bread, going about her business when she noticed them. She dropped her basket and ran screaming.

The Columbians did not expect the GUN to be here. According to the Founder's propaganda machine, the battle of the Hall of Heroes was "still ongoing". That GUN soldiers appeared this far south astounded them.

Suddenly, a few projectors activated. They showed the image of the face of Father Comstock.

"Citizens of Columbia. The Sodom Below has defiled our sweet Emporia with their presence. Those that can, evacuate to La Venta. Otherwise, stay in your homes, with your family.

To the armies of Hell which have come to devour our great city: Know that no weapon forged against me shall stand. If you continue to fight, you will only court ruination!"

His words did not deter the GUN or the Splicers. The former marched slowly towards the enemy, where as the latter ran in clubs-blazing.

The Founder army arrived: The Order of the Raven. They wore black, KKK-like hoods and carried swords. Chained onto their back was a coffin. Using their vigors they were able to call flocks of crows to devour the GUN and Rapture armies.

Archers behind the GUN army fired their arrows up into the air, which landed into the enemy horde and killed many of them. The Splicers used a plasmid called "insect swarm" which caused a swarm of bees to sting the Founders.

The two armies charged at each other, and the result was as brutal as had been predicted. For every five soldiers the Founders lost, the GUN and Rapture lost about four. Nonetheless, the sheer numbers of GUN soldiers and Splicers was far, far too much for Columbia to take. They got to the center of Emporia: Comstock Tower.

It was a giant bell tower with a statue of an angel above the bell. As they approached, more devil's kiss vigors rained down on the GUN. They were using a vigor known as undertow to supplement the range of devil's kiss.

The GUN soldiers prepared a battering ram and tried to get into the gates of Comstock Tower. Many attempted to climb up the tower, as well. Fireballs rained down on them, but they did not stop the GUN's resolve. If the soldiers manning the ram caught fire, others would come to grab it. If a soldier or a splicer fell while climbing, another would take his place.

Most helpful were the archers and the splicers with the plasmids. They were able to shoot back, distracting the enemy for long enough that eventually, the GUN battering ram succeeded and the gates were opened.

They marched in and began to climb up the tower. Suddenly, another projector activated. Comstock, again.

"The forces of darkness and filth never cease to amaze. But know that Columbia will not perish without a fight. You shall soon see what becomes of my enemies," he said.

The GUN soldiers ignored his comment and continued to climb up, until they came to large, empty room. The only thing there was what looked like a man strapped to a table, wearing a strange suit of armor. The suit looked vaguely train-like. It had a helmet that looked like a train engine and a few boilers on the back. Steam came out of the helmet.

It was screaming in agony. "Aaaaaah! Get me out of here! It burns! Aaaaah!".

For all the horrible things that Comstock had done...this was the most horrifying. Suddenly, the poor man was released from the table. It stood, surprisingly calmly. It spoke: "Behold, the Fireman." Were those its words? Or was it being controlled somehow? They would never find out.

It used a devil's kiss vigor and burned three soldiers to death instantly. More soldiers pushed forth, particularly the ones with shields. They occasionally put a few nicks in the monster's armor, but were ultimately inadequate. It seriously injured over 15 GUN soldiers, and killed around 7.

Finally, a GUN soldier carrying a halberd-relatively big and fancy weapons for the GUN, ran up the stars and used the axe-side to smash the Fireman's boiler. He was torched soon after, but he had completed his job.

The purpose of the boilers was as a sort of coolant. When they were smashed open, they leaked all the water out onto the floor. As the fighting continued, the Fireman overheated. In fact, the glass on the helmet literally started to melt. Suddenly, the glass on the monster's helmet shattered.

While the monster was overheating, about eight GUN soldiers then overpowered it. They proceeded to stab it in the chest over and over again, until they were absolutely certain it was dead. They then walked up the tower, to Comstock's office.

When they opened the door, Comstock was nowhere to be found. They noticed an open window and looked down. Comstock had flung himself over the window.

They replaced the Columbian Flag with the Federation flag and flew it over the tower. Columbia had finally returned home.


	10. The Aftermath of the Columbian Wars

**Chapter 10: The Aftermath of the Columbian Wars**

With Comstock dead and Emporia under our control, the Founders are no more. Columbia is under Federation Control.

I'm deciding what to do with Columbia. I'm going through the notes Comstock left in his office. It turns out that he was planning to invade the Eggman Empire until we became too big a threat to his nation. I wonder how that would have went? Eggman's too busy plotting to destroy the Mobians to have seen the threat, I think.

Comstock really liked the Steampunk aesthetic. It would be wrong to call his architects and scientists anything but geniuses, and as such we'll be keeping them on board.

He also had a "Super Soldier" program. The Fireman was probably a result of this experimentation. Most of his ideas won't be feasible for some time, but with a few modifications we may one day consider supplementing the GUN with such "super soldiers". One idea in particular-the Motorized Patriot, has caught my fancy.

But this leaves a final problem-Columbia herself. The social problems in Columbia are numerous. Freeing the slaves it technically easy, but the economic consequences might be severe. Many took on more slaves than they could possibly afford to pay. In addition, violence against black people will probably become a great problem for Columbia.

And even now, people still worship Comstock. But, luckily, without him present it's unlikely his churches will remain stable for long. They'll splinter among themselves and eventually be replaced with some new church.

They were, however, expecting our invasion to be much worse than it actually was. They were told stories of mass rape and civilian exterminations. They know now that they have been deceived. This realization has made them...open minded.

We have to let the people of Columbia police themselves at least to some extent, but we're keeping their police on a short leash. We have some of our officers "supplementing" their forces. At least, that's how I plan to word it before the press. In reality, this amounts to martial law. Their police are to be disarmed except for batons. Their police activities can be closely monitored by any inspector we wish. Columbian police may be arrested by our police, and will be tried in Central City.

Luckily, these measures will probably not persist for much more than a few months. As it turns out, Slate, the guy we found in the Hall of Heroes, wasn't a big fan of Comstock, but still has the respect of was the Founder police forces. We'll be putting him in charge.

Most interesting is the girl we found in Comstock Tower. Her name is Elizabeth. She doesn't even know what's happened. She has...strange powers. Vigors of some sort? We aren't sure yet. She seems to pull things out of somewhere else. We can't be sure what this means, just yet. We'll be keeping her locked away for now-she was obviously locked away for a reason. We'll decide what to do with her later.

A new problem has emerged: A truly massive Subspace Portal has opened up south of Emporia. Luckily, our army's already there to deal with it.


	11. The Second Great Subspace Crusade

**Chapter 11: The Second Great Subspace Crusade**

The GUN soldiers marched through the forest towards the Subspace portal. They were wearing plate mail, the latest in the GUN's arsenal. Their armor looked vaguely like Spanish conquistidors. They were carrying shields, sabres, and pikes.

As they approached, they began to feel uneasy. Something wasn't right here. They couldn't quite put their finger on what, though. It was as if this particular portal was emitting some sort of signal telling them to be afraid.

The leaves on the trees began to change color as they were approaching the portal in an unnatural manner. They became more orangish as they came closer. The trees took on cubical shapes, as if they had been carefully trimmed-except they obviously weren't, that was just the way their branches had grown. Their branches themselves became more angular, often coming out horizontally from the tree and then upright at a 90 degree angle.

Shadow bugs filled the air.

The soldiers began to realize that this wasn't a subspace portal, but rather...a protrusion of subspace itself into their world that had replaced what was already there. It was attempting to emulate reality, but had only a superficial understanding of how it worked.

They saw, in the center, the subspace core. There was a black sphere there, and above it an arm of densely compact shadow bugs (it looked almost exactly like a question mark). Surrounding it was a bubble. To protect it?

Ted, stood there, carrying a shield with the GUN logo painted on it along with a saber. He got a weird feeling. It was like that feeling a person gets when they subconsciously know that someone is behind them. He felt that that entity was in some way alive, or at least, not totally inanimate.

"What...what are you?" Ted asked.

He heard a voice in his head, one that sounded like almost like a male child, but completely monotone. It said "I am not. You will be, too."

They noticed in the distance, polygons approaching. These polygons were not like the ones from before, though. They had one hand shaped like a blade.

The GUN braced for combat and proceeded to fight against the polygons. The polygon's blades were not sharp enough to cut through plate mail, but the trick was to get them through the chinks of the armor, which they seemingly knew to do.

The Polygons were, however, not as strongly armored. It was possible for a GUN officer to impale them with a sword with only a moderate amount of effort. Despite their upgrade, the Polygons were not stronger than the GUN.

The real threat was the core itself. It shot blasts of shadow bugs at the GUN, and they moved at such speed that they could seriously dent armor and break the bones beneath it. Around 8 officers were killed by the polygons, and four were killed by the core.

After they had killed the polygons, they turned to the core itself. They surrounded it and each soldier pressed their weapons into its outer bubble. They pushed as hard as they could, until they saw it cracking.

There was no flash of light, or even a sound. The entity just disappeared entirely. The world turned back to normal. The shadow bugs disappeared as well. Nature was seemingly restored to normal.

The soldiers stood there, half-disbelieving what they had seen. Was that entity still out there somewhere? Had it not existed at all? Had their minds just made it all up?

They had no idea, but as far as they could tell...everything was normal. They returned home.


	12. The Columbia Riots

Chapter 12: The Columbian Riots

Ted sat in the back of the cafeteria all alone. It had been a week since they raided that subspace portal, but still got goosebumps from thinking about it.

Truth is, he didn't sign on for a lot of this. He was born while they were still underground. He was selected to be a security officer. He was expecting to have to break up the occasional barfight, not raid the streets of Emporia or deal with...whatever in God's name those polygons really are.

He started to wonder if the truth about them was somewhere out there. He didn't know what worried him more. Their complete lack of understanding of subspace...or that the truth could be even worse.

A blonde woman in uniform walked to the door and said "Everyone get out there! There's an emergency!"

Ted stood up and ran to the supply room. They grabbed their armor and weapons before running out.

There was a riot in Emporia's poor district, where the former slaves started up their businesses. Some Columbian business owners were not happy with having to compete with "Negroes" and had taken to smashing up their businesses.

The GUN arrived shortly after. The rioters were kicking a black person on the ground while shouting unspeakably racist things.

Abraham Tower, on his horse, led the GUN there. He shouted "Disperse!"

One of the rioters shouted "Oh yeah? Or what!?"

"Pikemen!" shouted Tower.

The Pikemen started to move a little closer, pointing their weapons at the rioters. The rioters looked at them in horror, and started to run. At least one shouted "Fascist!" as he did so.

Ted approached the beaten man on the ground. He was badly bruised, but still very much alive. He offered a hand to him. "You ok, sir? What's your name?"

The victim grabbed his hand, and was helped up. "Sir?" he said, in disbelief. It was rare to be called sir, certainly not be a soldier. "Uh...yeah, I'm fine, I think...My name's Bill".

Ted unholstered his sidearm (a dagger) and offered it to the victim. "Private First Class Ted Rico. Maybe this will help, in the future..."

Bill shook his head "Eh...no, thanks sir. That'll only make them more unhappy."

Ted twirled the dagger in his hand before reholstering it. "That's wise" he said. Bill saluted him before limping away to safety.

It was at that point that a few loud banging sounds filled the air, followed by the sound of plinking metal. Eight GUN soldiers dropped onto the ground, dead or severely injured. Ted was bewildered, completely unsure what was going on.

Abraham Tower shouted "Gunshots! Run for cover!" He himself began to move out of the way before shouting "Someone, lock that door! I don't want anyone coming out of that building!"

A Pikeman quickly put his pike into the door handles, making it hard to leave. The crossbowmen and women arrived, shooting at any of the musketmen who tried to escape via window.

Guns? How did they get guns? There were rumors of Rapture developing gunpowder in secret, but even so, it's unlikely that these people would have access to them.

Ted ran into an alleyway, before anyone could shoot again. Tower was in the same alley. He turned to Ted and said "You, there. I'm going to come back with something. I want you to search that building for hostages".

Ted saluted him, and then ran for the building. The Pikeman removed his makeshift lock, and let Ted in. He walked inside-it was clearly some form of Tavern. Another musketman popped out of cover to shoot at Ted. Ted ran into a hallway, instinctively taking a zig-zagging path to throw off the attacker. He hid behind a corner and took out his dagger, waiting.

When he saw the gun barrel, he grabbed it and then drove his knife into the musketman's neck. The musketman paused a moment when he was stabbed, and then tried to stammer something, before he fell to the ground, dead.

Ted tasted vomit in his mouth as he watched the guy die. He didn't enjoy killing people, but when one fights in a crowd it felt less personal than fighting someone one-on-one. He picked up the gun and examined it. He liked the way it felt in hands. It was, however, unloaded, and he couldn't at a glance figure out how to reload it. Luckily, the weapon had a bayonet on it, making it a rather affective melee weapon if he ran into more trouble.

He saw the upstairs. There were probably several marksmen up there. He considered trying to fight him, before realizing how dangerous that would be. He kept looking around, and eventually found a locked storage closet. He smashed the lock off with the stock of the gun, and then opened it. The closet was relatively big, and stored about 4 people inside. They were bound and gagged.

He bent over and untied the gag from one of the hostages. He asked "Are you alright?". The Hostage nodded in response. Ted asked another question: "Are there any others?". The Hostage shooks his head.

With that, Ted escorted them out of the building. As he left, the Pikeman re-locked the door. Abraham Tower had returned with a trebuchet, a large pot of oil loaded into it.

Tower asked "Is that all of them?"

Ted nodded. With that, Tower launched the Trebuchet, and put oil on the tavern. The Crossbowmen launched flaming arrows onto the building, setting it on fire.

As Smoke filled the buildings, the gunmen eventually realized that they can't stay inside. Half of them commited suicide, but around three of them began to try climbing out of the windows. They didn't escape, and were arrested.


	13. The Interview

Chapter 13: The Interview

Abraham Tower at his desk, across from the prisoner, who was tied down to a chair. The event was being recorded.

"Edward Jackson," said Tower. "I take it that's your name? It's what your partner told me."

Edward remained silent.

"Well, when the fires started, half your team committed suicide. You didn't. Now, this gives me an interesting theory. You want to live." said Tower sardonically.

Edward said "Or, it means I left to continue the revolution."

Tower nodded and said "Interesting theory. A revolution against what, exactly?"

Edward said "Federation filth. Our plan was brilliant. We were to take your weapons and then army the people of Columbia to retake the city."

Tower nodded and said "Not brilliant enough. Where did you get those guns?"

Edward resumed silence.

Tower said "Very well, then. I guess I'll just have to see if there are any more pockets of 'resistance' I can interrogate"

Edward broke his silence "Is it really so surprising? We can make a man throw fireballs? Why can we not build guns?"

Tower nodded "Excellent point. I don't suspect you'd like to elaborate? A secret project of some sort?"

Edward smiled and remained silent. "I'll let you keep guessing."


End file.
